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We are a collection of researchers working in a wide variety of fields including microbiology, ecology, agriculture, dairy science, marine biology, and the philosophy of science. What do we have in common? A desire to bring science in easily digestible and understandable pieces for those who are interested. Here, we plan to start a conversation about science, how science is done, and put this conversation in the context we understand best, the science that we do.

Ever heard of miracle berries? They’re a small, red berry produced by the shrub Richardella (=Synsepalum) dulcifica with the ability to modify your sour-sensing taste buds. After consuming a berry, things that normally taste sour, all of a sudden taste sweet.

This month’s mutualism is between tetrodotoxin-producing bacteria and their many hosts.

Until recently, the origin of the tetrodotoxin (TTX) in pufferfish was unknown. TTX was first isolated by chemists from the ovaries of pufferfish in 1950. It was thought to be a toxin found exclusively within pufferfish (hence its naming after the pufferfish family Tetraodontidae), until it was found in the California newt Taricha torosa. After its discovery in newts, TTX was rapidly isolated from a diversity of animal species completely unrelated to each other, including several frogs, an octopus, several marine snails, a crab, and a starfish. This raised an interesting question: did all these animals evolve the ability to produce tetrodotoxin separately or is there some common factor?

Have you ever had the feeling that your pet was your best
friend or like a child to you? Turns
out, that’s normal! Interactions between
you and your pet have real, measurable positive effects on the health of both
you and your dog. Studies show that when
you interact with your dog, a hormone called oxytocin is released into your
bloodstream. Oxytocin is frequently
referred to as the "trust" or "love" hormone.

Feed the data monster

As scientists, we hope that the quality of our work speaks for itself. The truth is, however, we as scientists need to speak for our work. Here, we plan to start a conversation about science, how science is done and put this conversation in the context we understand best, the science that we do. We are a collection of researchers working in a wide variety of fields including microbiology, ecology, agriculture, dairy science, marine biology and the philosophy of science. What do we have in common? A general desire to bring science in easily digestible and understandable pieces for those who are interested.

A collection of researchers working in a wide variety of fields with a desire to bring science in easily digestible and understandable pieces for those who are interested. Stay Hungry!